Dust dirt off your shoulders

interjection

dust dirt off your shoulders

To step up. The origin of this term comes from a story in which a donkey falls into a well and cannot get out. The farmer tries to get the donkey out by rope, unsuccessful in his attempt. He decides, instead, to just give up and bury the donkey in the well. As the farmer begins filling the hole with dirt, the donkey becomes depressed, realizing that all of the dirt on his shoulders and back were going to eventually bury him. He then thought of an idea: I can just shake it off and step up. Therefore, he could just die by doing nothing and getting buried, or shake the dirt off his shoulders and step up to the occasion. So when you have a problem, will you shake it off and step up or be buried?

Yet another interpretation may come as a modification to the term 'dust (or shake) them hataz off'. As more people hate on you, or become envious or angry at you for whatever reason, the dust accumulates into dirt, and soon you've gotta 'dust that dirt off your shoulders'.

"I got po chasin' me, babies mammas trynta get wit me, so I get them glocks rocks and dust the dirt of my shoulders the cops an them bolders" -- Jay-Z